Football: Chiefs rumble to victory
Ronan rushes for a season high 534 yards wins first playoff game
since early ‘90s
BIG TIMBER - Last Saturday, Big Timber quickly learned what kind of football Ronan likes to play.
Smashmouth.
The Wramblin' Wreck of Ronan, which at this point could probably pick up a first down even if the Mission Mountains were in their way, rushed for 534 yards and six touchdowns in a 47-14 first-round playoff game victory over the Sheepherders last Saturday.
The crazy thing? That's not even the most rushing yards Ronan has had in a game. In 2009, the Chiefs rushed for 633 yards and broke the national record for rushing attempts in a game with 87.
Ronan head coach Jim Benn said that he follows in the same school of philosophy as Montana State head coach Rob Ash. You've got to be known for something, and when teams face Ronan, they're going to get a no-huddle offense that runs the ball. A lot.
"It's part of who we are," Benn said. "You have to have a brand. A program has to have an identity."
And this season, Benn has been blessed with with an incredible group of kids that won Ronan's first playoff game since the early 1990s.
"The kids are really unselfish," Benn said. "You have great running backs getting just seven to eight touches and you haven't heard them whine about it. I really appreciate the group."
That group certainly showed their gumption against Big Timber, with three different backs getting over 100 yards. That comes behind an offensive line, that can get downfield and is extremely physical with their opponents.
"On one of Marcus Hungerford's touchdowns, our center Colby Roberts knocked out two kids 30 yards downfield," Benn said, who added that lineman Dustin Goldsby has also been blocking really well for the team.
Benn went on to credit coaches Ryan Wells, Tom Peterson and Jess Kelch with the work they've done with the line. The line made quick work of Big Timber in the first quarter of their first-round playoff game and the Chiefs jumped out to a 20-0 lead.
Senior running back and human machine Jake Skelton did work by scoring the team's first touchdown from 30 yards out, and finished the night with 177 rushing yards putting his season total to 888. Two touchbacks which pinned the Sheepherders back in their own territory resulted in punts that caused two Ronan touchdowns to round out the quarter: Senior wide receiver Marcus "The Jet" Hungerford returned one of those punts 80-yards for a touchdown and senior quarterback Robbie Gauthier punched it in from 1 yard out for another score.
Big Timber scored a touchdown in the second, but Ronan got a 70-yard touchdown run by Hungerford to go into halftime with a 26-7 lead. He would finish the game with 107 yards.
In the second half, Gauthier again lived up to his "Big play Bob" nickname by notching a 60-yard touchdown run and had 134 rushing yards for the contest. Skelton followed that up with his second touchdown of the game from 30 yards out.
Jack "The Ripper" Humphreys rounded out Ronan's scoring with a 10-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter, and nearly had 100 yards in the game himself, racking up 78.
The Chiefs were equally impressive on defense, holding rushing attempts to under three yards per carry and 170 yards of total offense.
Big Timber got an aesthetic touchdown at the end, but Ronan moved on to their second-round playoff game in Baker - a town 622 miles away near the Montana-North Dakota border.
Despite the road trip that will be over 1,200 miles when all is said and done, the Chiefs are excited.
"I'm excited and the kids are really excited," Benn said. "It's a chance for them to hang out together as a group. That's the thing, this week after our game, every kid rode the bus back. That to me is a big deal, it says that the kids want to be around each other."
Baker is coming off a 28-0 victory over Columbus in the first round, and they have plenty of history - four state championships in the last decade and nine straight trips to the semifinals. Benn is one person that's very familiar with them as he coached for Huntley Project, which is in the same area as Baker. Baker is also known for producing former Montana Griz and current Atlanta Falcon safety Shann Schillinger.
"They run the ball very well, and they have running back Kodee Varner, who won the state B 100-meter dash," Benn said. "If he gets loose, it's over."
Benn expects a very physical game, and an excellent climate in a town that might be small but loves its football.
"I think we're going to have a great trip over there," Benn said.
And one would venture to guess they'll do quite a bit of running during that trip.
RONAN 47, BIG TIMBER 14
Ronan - 20 - 6 - 14 - 7 - 47
Big T. - 0 - 7 - 0 - 7 - 14
SCORING SUMMARY
Ronan - Jake Skelton 30-yard run (kick failed)
Ronan - Marcus Hungerford 80-yard kickoff
return (kick failed)
Ronan - Robbie Gauthier 1-yard run (two-point conversion good)
Big Timber - Dalen Wood 20-yard pass from Nels Flanagan (Flanagan kick)
Ronan - Hungerford 70-yard run (kick failed)
Ronan - Gauthier 60-yard run (Clary run)
Ronan - Skelton 30-yard run (kick failed)
Ronan - Jack Humphreys 10-yard run (kick good)
Big Timber -Colten Wheeler 3-yard run (Flanagan kick)